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Report: Celtics will make a run at Kevin Durant

Chuck - Red's Army April 29, 2016 Celtics News 36 Comments

The Celtics intended pursuit of Kevin Durant is the worst kept secret in the NBA. Yahoo’s Chris Mannix reiterates “the plan” in a Celtics post-mortem:

Ainge will be aggressive in free agency, team sources told The Vertical, and yes, that means a run at Kevin Durant. The Celtics believe Durant will meet with them this summer, but they know that meeting won’t accomplish much unless there are significant moves leading into it. Durant will be 28 in September, and the former MVP isn’t interested in hearing what a team could someday become. He wants to win now, which is why Golden State and San Antonio expect to be appealing, why Oklahoma City is still very much in play. Boston needs a deal for Jimmy Butler, a commitment from Al Horford, a carrot to dangle in front of Durant to persuade him that relocating east is the smart play.

Mannix is clearly a big fan of Danny Ainge’s work. He uses the adjectives “brilliant” and “masterful” to describe the rebuild, words you’ll never hear from 90% of the Boston media.

Golden State and San Antonio are a head above the Celtics, but Boston is the only place where Durant will be the man (including OKC). Whiffing on Durant will hurt, but Mannix stresses it won’t be the end of the world (provided we get the 1st or 2nd pick in the upcoming draft).

Speaking of the draft, Isaiah Thomas will represent the Celtics at the lottery on May 17. He’ll also continue to do some heavy recruiting in the offseason:

Does Isaiah Thomas know Kevin Durant? “I do,” he smiled. “He played for the Sonics so I know him a little bit.”

— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 29, 2016

Isaiah on FAs: If you don’t want to play in Boston, you don’t know basketball.

— Brian Robb (@CelticsHub) April 29, 2016

Tom Webster

Start with Cousins, forget anyone who can’t hit free throws. Butler, Durant are great players, Horford is a very good player but not great.
- Richard Jensen
  
  Unfortunately, firing Karl barely a year after inking him to a four year contract effectively says that Cousins is completely untouchable. The Kings are all-in on DMC.
  - Curt Hays
    
    RUN [from] DMC
- Sean
  
  Horford was great but is too old at this point.
Dave

No surprise that Danny will go after KD in free agency like every other team but I love how committed I.T. is to Boston and recruiting players, should be an interesting offseason that’s for sure.
Dave

IT & KD
RedsLoveChild

Ainge`s meeting with Durant should not require much more than two questions :

1} What players must we acquire before you would be willing to sign with us?
2} Assuming we do acquire said player{s}, will you, in fact, sign with us?

Only superstars win rings.
If it requires “gutting” the existing Celtic roster to satisfy KD, you do it! Simply put, a gutted Celtic roster with KD is much closer to a ring than the roster they currently have without him.
- art
  
  This isn’t the same situation as KG’s arrival in 2007. The C’s are in a much stronger position than 2007. They do not need to acquire a Ray Allen before a big name free agent signs. But let’s just say that signing 2 big names would be better than one, and leave it at that.
  - RedsLoveChild
    
    In 2007, the Celtics already had a bona-fide superstar {Pierce}. They also had a lottery pick, and a young Al Jefferson, who several teams would be interested in obtaining.
    
    Today, they have no superstar. Just a lottery pick, a pretty good two-way, injury prone guard {AB}, and a 5`9″ volume gunner who hurts you on the defensive end {IT}.
    
    Only delusional, ridiculously biased Celtic fans are of the opinion that other teams are dying to acquire anyone else on this junk-pile of a roster.
    - art
      
      The 2006-7 team finished with 24 wins. This years team had double that and tied for 3rd in the conference. No so-called superstar but pretty effective. And promising. Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart, Evan Turner. Not superstars, but good.
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        The 2007 team had little talent….but, they were also “tanked” that season, hoping to draft KD or Oden. Also, Pierce missed a ton of games.
        
        The 2016 team had little talent…but, worked their ass off every minute of every game.
        It`s a rag-tag roster of cast offs trying to show they can play {IT, Crowder, Turner, Zeller} with the usual lousy draft picks by Ainge {Sullinger, Olynyk, Smart, Hunter, Rozier}.
        
        They simply out-worked/out-hustled all the other low-talent teams, to win a misleading 48 games in a weak EC, that might as well be the WNBA.
    - stephen
      
      Analist already think if he comes here we win it all. One of the most stifiling defensive teams in the nba. Only thing we really need is a bonafied scoorer like kd. IT is only 5’9 but plays 6’6 and is a great pick and roll man and legit 20 and 7 guy. Plus all the promising guys on the roster
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        KD gives ANY team a solid shot at winning it all….KD is a superstar, and that`s what superstars do.
        
        GS will repeat again if their superstar {Curry} gets healthy in time…Cleveland will be in the Finals again because of their superstar {LBJ}.
        
        No superstar = No hope
      - stephen
        
        No curry is not the reason they win it all, they have a super stacked team. Lebron is lebron, argubly the greatest player ever. A super star does help but its a team game. If he went philly with the current roster they win 25 to 30 games. Right now boston has the pieces that would fit next to KD very well and thats why they win. Not to mention coaching. Players need to be in the right system.
      - KGino
        
        lebron is not arguably the greatest ever… Yes, he’s not even in the argument…
        
        If you need explanation, how long ya got?
      - stephen
        
        Dude get the fuck outa here, yes he is and no im not a bron dickrider. Plus argubly means in the conversation not necessarily the goat. If you dont think so fine, your opinion, but im not taking you serious on anything lol
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        Very well said!
      - KGino
        
        morons think alike!
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        WTF???
        
        After years of responding to every comment directed towards you….you fail to respond {today`s morning dump} to claims that you “self-upvote” yourself? Specifically, on 3-31-16.
        
        Was the “insecure/approval seeking fanboy” too busy shampooing Jae`s dreads? Did he reward you with a hair band?
        
        C`mon, talk about your self-upvoting. Let`s hear about it.
        
        As for calling you out : When you least expect it, expect it!!
      - KGino
        
        I responded, moron.
        
        Even if I did self up vote (which I didn’t), who the hell cares lol. You’re such a child, your name is so fitting its perfect.
        
        We all know you’d rather cloud our debates by bringing up things totally off topic, because I whoop your ass with so much logic every time.
        
        “No GM in the league wants any other players besides IT and AB”
        
        “What about the GM’s who tried to trade for Jae at the deadline?”
        
        “HAH! He self up voted himself again 2 months ago!”
        
        Way to stay on topic bud
      - KGino
        
        “Arguably means in the conversation” yea thanks bud, thats why I said, “YES, he’s not even in the argument.” Because i figured you’d say something stupid like that… And you still did.
        
        The Goat has more than 2 rings and sure as hell didn’t need to conspire with other top 10 players to form a super team to win them. The Goat doesn’t undermine and get their coaches fired. The Goat can hit clutch shots. The Goat doesn’t abandon his team on two separate occasions to go where the grass is greener. GOAT? He’s not even in the conversation. Top 10 — yes he’s in the conversation.
        
        If that’s your opinion that he is, fine. But I can’t take you serious on anything and you really should study up on a guy named Michael Jordan/the NBA in general and stop watching so much ESPN
      - stephen
        
        Everbody on espn dick rides mj, and your acting like he didnt have pippen and rodman? Not to mention a great coach and phenomenal role players around him. Lebron should have never left Miami but i understand wanting to win one for your home town. Now he doesnt have 2 top ten players. I also hardly ever watch espn unless a game is on. Espn is a joke.
      - KGino
        
        No man… I’m not acting like he didn’t have Pippen and Rodman. But I am acting like Jordan never decided one off season to call those guys up and tell them “we should all take pay cuts and join the same team”. Because Jordan is way more of a competitor than Lebron ever will be.
        
        He should have never left Cleveland. Sure they didn’t get him enough support, but he will always be a coward for the way he went about getting those two rings in Miami (colluding with two other top 10’s). That was the cheapest way to do it, and even then he choked in the 2011 finals when he had the better team (GOATS don’t choke with the best team), and needed Ray Allen to bail him out in 2013 after he basically gave up on his team (two air balls in the last 4 min of that game).
        
        He is extremely skilled as a player. One of the best players ever. But not in the conversation of THE BEST. He doesn’t shoot it well enough, he isn’t clutch enough, he hasn’t shown up enough when it counts, and he is a poor teammate (controversial social media messages, throwing teammates under the bus, & undermining coaches).
        
        Idk man, to me you just can’t be the #1 guy ever when you have two championships that were both won in such a cowardly fashion… I just don’t respect the way he went about his career. It’s like if Durant chose to go to the Warriors in the off season after they won the championship… I would respect him a lot less too at that point. Cheap way out.
        
        Again, you’re entitled to your opinion and I’m not saying Lebron isn’t in my top 10 if I’m drafting an all-time team. I’m just saying I know for a fact I wouldn’t pick him first.
      - stephen
        
        All im saying, skill wise, as a player there have only ever been a handful of guys who could take a team to the finals year after year, win or lose, no matter who is on that roster. Maybe 4 or 5 guys. He is one of them. You could add bird and magic in there as well. If len bias never over dosed we might not even be having this conversation.
    - Sean
      
      KD is more likely to come for AB then IT, they played at the same college. Or Brad.
      
      But IT is a star. If he was 3 inches taller with the same numbers we wouldn’t be discussing it. He basically carried us offensively all year.
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        IT is very effective offensively…he`s quick, elusive, hits 3`s, gets to the line, and knocks down FT`s. IT alone is basically 50% of their offense.
        
        However, 5`9″ is unbelievably short. You have to play both ends of the floor. Anyone can shoot over IT uncontestedly, as well as scan the floor to hit the open man.
      - Sean
        
        I don’t think it’s as much of a problem when you have smart, ab, and crowder to cover IT’s mistakes.
        
        & statistically was IT even that bad of a defender this year?
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        I have given props to two Celtics…..AB, for being the best all around player on the team. IT, for being the best offensive weapon on the team.
        
        If one {or both} must be dealt away to acquire a true superstar talent in his prime….so be it.
    - KGino
      
      Yep, nobody in the NBA wants Jae Crowder on their team. Poor take as usual RLC
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        Yeah….he really came through in the playoffs, where both teams on the floor always play hard {unlike the regular season}.
        
        .278 FG% {20-for 72}
      - KGino
        
        Anyone with a brain who actually watches regular season games could tell you Jae Crowder wasn’t playing healthy. Don’t give me the “oh he sucked because both teams were playing really hard playoff basketball”… No. You must not have watched the series either. They dared him to shoot, knowing he was hurt. Jae drove to the basket maybe one time per playoff game… He was a shell of himself due to injury. And spare me the “it’s the playoffs everyone is injured” crap, he was clearly more significantly injured than any other player playing in the series.
        
        But yea you’re right, absolutely no teams in the league are looking for a decent two way player capable of covering the Lebrons, Durants, Kawhis, Butlers, and Melos of the league… who’s 25 no less… good call bud
      - RedsLoveChild
        
        No, I won`t spare you from reality or the truth….every player IS banged up this time of year. If a guy takes the floor, he`s telling us he`s ready to play.
        
        In the playoffs v. ATL, Crowder was so badly “injured” he averaged more MPG and attempted more 3`s than he did throughout the regular season. Enough said.
      - KGino
        
        I love how I know your arguments now before you even say them. Again, watch the regular season more and you might see why GMs across the league were chomping at the bit to trade for him.
        
        Not me, other GM’s. Nuff said.
art

If there’s a number 1 up-and-coming team in the NBA, it’s the Boston Celtics. That should be highly attractive to KD and others. Too bad they couldn’t have been a little better in the Atlanta series to be a little more convincing. But with all of their draft picks, including top 5 this year and maybe 2 more years, all the cap space, an attractive winning organization with the best history in the NBA and a well-liked head coach, well, all of that should be quite compelling for potential free agents including Mr. Durant. Come to Boston Kevin!!
zippittyay

Heck, I’d be happy if they signed Bazemore.
- Sean
  
  I hate this but I’ll be happy with it.

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